December 14, 2012 … Love Letters

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 349

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Colossians, Chapters 1-4 To study these chapters, go to this link -
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 Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Philemon, only one chapter ... To study this chapter, go to this link -
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Highlight Passages: Colossians 1 : [NLT] … {Paul writes this letter during his imprisonment in Rome, about 60 AD, to the church at Colosse, a city in Asia Minor, where the body of believers there was being infiltrated with false teachings, philosophies similar to those now labeled as “Gnosticism,” which taught that special knowledge was necessary for salvation. Paul was trying to help the Christians in Colosse and Laodacea to see that Christ is the ONLY answer in/for life; and Jesus was and is God, eternal and sovereign over all.}
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Highlight Passages: Colossians 2: 6-10; 20-21 : [NLT] … {Paul wanted Christians to see that belief in Christ, as LORD and Savior, and living in obedience to His teachings, was all the knowledge or belief systems needed for life. Paul was espousing a “Christ is all there is” philosophy of living, … i.e, that Jesus, as Lord in our lives, is all we need in life as the key to eternal life and the answer for now living as well. Paul was teaching that we don’t need man-made religious thoughts to guide our lives. All we need is Christ, as “the way, the truth, and the life.”},,, 

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from Him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all He has done. 8 Don’t let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ. 9 For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, 10 and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe. … 
20 You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the evil powers of this world. So why do you keep on following rules of the world, such as, 21 “Don’t handle, don’t eat, don’t touch.”  
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Highlight Passages: Colossians 3: 11: 16-17 : [NLT] … {Simple premise for living as Christians … “Christian living is Christ living in us,” … no more no less. Do you remember what Paul wrote to the Romans in Rom. 12: 1-2. Well, if we Christians live as “living sacrifices” to our Lord in this world, pursuing the holiness of Christ, we will reject the world and live in obedience to Christ, proving (to others) “… what is that good and perfect will of God.” } ...   
11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us. … 16 Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father. 
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Highlight Passages: Colossians 4 : [NLT] … {In Chapter 4 Paul personalizes this letter to peoples in Asia Minor he had never met by introducing them to ones bringing the letter as well as noting that he was writing the letter out of love for those in Colosse and signing it in his own hand. This was Paul being as personal as he could be about the truth of Christ and the good news.}
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Highlight Passages: Philemon [yes, the whole book ;>)] : [NLT] … {Philemon is a short, powerful, and very personal letter to one Christian – but really to all of us as Christians, written about the same time as Paul’s letters to Ephesus and Colosse from his imprisonment in Rome. It’s addressed to Philemon, who was likely a wealthy and prominent Christian leader in the Colossian church; and Paul is writing Philemon to receive, forgive, and accept a slave of Philemon’s, who had escaped and come to Rome, where Paul had led this slave, Onesimus, to belief in Christ. And Paul is pleading with Philemon to accept, with the grace of Christ, the life of this new brother-believer, Onesimus. This little book is a powerful proclamation of God’s grace and a plea for God’s love and forgiveness being offered freely from the hearts of all Christians. I hope you take the time to read or reread this powerful little love-letter.} 
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Reference Passages: Galatians 2: 20 and Romans 12: 1-2 : [NLT] … {In Christ we died to self and now live in Him. I’ll leave it to you to search out this truth in these two passages.} …

My Journal for Today: Wow! The editor of the YouVersion.com chronological Bible reading program for this year is now obviously coming down the back stretch – in this last month of the year – plowing through the Pauline Epistles – very quickly! And today we’re studying two of them, the letters to the Colossians and the one to Philemon, … two very powerful and practical teachings on Christian living which also were written to combat some false teachings, which we now call “Gnosticism,” false teaching which was getting its roots when Paul was writing these letters.

And really the bottom-line lesson Paul was trying to get across in his letter to Colosse (and also the church in Laodicea) is that CHRIST IS THE ANSWER (no more, no less!!). Some false teachers were trying to get the body of believers in this area of Asia Minor to believe there was more – in the way of special knowledge – which Christians needed in order to make them fully completed in their Christian thinking and living. To me it’s very much like those today are teaching that one must have something special, like speaking in tongues, or a special/separate baptism of the Spirit, or a “word of faith” which sets a “christian” (note I use a small “c”) apart in some special way.

But Paul was doing all he could in these two Pauline LOVE LETTERS to get the Colossian Christians (and now all of us) to recognize that ALL WE NEED IS CHRIST and all we need for Christian living is to express – by our living – CHRIST LIVING IN US. For Philemon, in Paul’s very personal letter to one Christian, Paul wanted this brother in Christ to forgive another brother, Onesimus, who had been a slave to Philemon and had become a slave to Christ. This little love-letter to Philemon is a plea for all Christians to live in Christ’s grace and let it permeate our being as Christians; and the entire love-letter to the Colossian Christians carried the same powerful lesson that, as I stated above, ”CHRISTIAN LIVING IS CHRIST LIVING IN/THROUGH US!”

And as Lily Tomlin used to say with a pronounced lisp, from her high chair as she was little “Edith Ann” on Laugh-In, … “And that’s the truth!” 

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to put on Your Robes of Righteous each day and let others see You in me and not me in me. Amen

December 13, 2012 … Tripping for Christ

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 348  

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Acts, Chapters 27-28 To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Blogger's Note: See map of Paul’s journey to Rome from 59-61 AD. Click on map for larger view.}

Highlight Passages: Acts 27 : [NLT] … {In Chapter 27 of Acts Luke documents Paul being taken from Caesarea to Rome by ship by the Romans. Paul was still a prisoner, being transported to testify before the Emperor; and he had a Roman Captain, named Julius, to watch over his transport to Rome. Writing about this trip, Luke, by the use of the pronoun “we,” and the detailed account of the journey, was allowed to travel with Paul; and it’s quite remarkable that Luke’s devotion to Paul made him willing to make this rather risky, 2000+ mile, journey along with Paul to Rome. Also, though not specified directly, the relationship between Julius and Paul became critical, saving Paul’s life when there was a shipwreck along the way, documented in this Chapter. And we also see how God watched over Paul, even sending an Angel to give Paul prophetic messages during the ship’s journey; and especially concerning a shipwreck near Malta.} See the map which depicts Paul’s harrowing journey to Rome.
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Highlight Passages: Acts 28 : [NLT] … {I hope you’ve read Chapter 28 of Acts, where Luke, traveling with Paul to Rome, documents the remarkable set of circumstances of Paul’s travels to Rome, being guarded by Julius, but received in Rome by Jews and Christians there and given housing. And when it Rome Paul compulsively and compellingly preaches the Gospel message, leading to a number of Jews being saved. This saga of travels in the later life of Paul shows how God watches over those who are walking totally within the will of God’s purposes.}
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Reference Passage: Romans 8: 28 : [NLT] … {As we’re “tripping for Jesus” in our lives, do we really believe this powerful truth?} … And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. 

My Journal for Today: If you’re here, reading my blog today, I hope you’ve taken the time to read or re-read through the final two chapters of the Book of Acts, where Luke documents the long and harrowing trip where God engineered a 2000+ mile journey by ship, under Roman guard, for Paul from Caesarea to Rome in 61AD. Luke was traveling along with Paul; and that’s why his historical descriptions were so detailed and precise; and the events of this journey, with Paul “tripping for Christ,” as I’ve titled my blog today, historically and accurately support – for me – the truth Paul had written earlier to the Romans in Romans 8: 28, which I’ve copied above. Truly ALL THINGS do work together for God’s good purposes in the lives of Christians – even when they are life-threatening and extremely difficult at times.
 
But do we believe that?  It’s hard at times, isn’t it, when the circumstances of life come down around us? Think of the events depicted in Acts, Chapter 27-28, where Paul’s boat ride was ship-wrecked and all of the crew were saved because Julius, Paul’s Roman guard, convinced the crew not to kill the prisoners, believing Paul’s prophetic visions from an angel. Think of the time Paul was saved from death when he was bitten by a poisonous snake on the Isle of Malta. And then how all of this elevated Paul’s credibility in the eyes of the people whom he contacted during the journey so that they would esteem Paul very highly, which gave Paul credibility to preach the Gospel when he got to Rome, “tipping for Jesus.”

What I glean from Chapters 27-28 of Acts is a strong reinforcement of my belief in Romans 8: 28 and the adage I was taught by a mentor years ago … that God’s calling is His enablement!! When God has a calling on someone’s life, as he did with Paul’s, or as He has a plan for the lives of all Christians, He’s going to “work things together for HIS good in the life of one who is called for HIS purposes.” [again, Rom. 8: 28 paraphrased]

But again I ask, do we believe that truth; and as we’re “tripping” in this life and in our relationship with Christ, do we live it? … Another faith inventory today for yours truly ... and prayerfully for you as well!

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I’m tripping through my life FOR YOU. Amen

December 12, 2012 … God’s Tapestry of Life

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 347

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Review: Acts, Chapters 24-26 To review these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passages: Acts 24 : [NLT] … {Using the link above you can read Chapter 24 of Paul’s letter to the Romans, where the Apostle was taken for trial by a mob of Jews to Caesarea, where the Roman Governor, Felix, resided and would hear Paul’s case. A Jewish advocate/orator, Tertullus, argued the case for the Jews, trying to have Paul killed; but Paul gives a staunch and righteous defense; and Felix becomes under conviction and begins to fear what Paul was preaching about Christian values. Paul was held in custody in Caesarea for two years, where Festus finally became the new Roman Governor; and we pick this up in Acts, Chapter 25. } …
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Highlight Passages: Acts 25 : [NLT] … {Two years later in Paul’s unjust jailing in Caesarea, Festus becomes the new Roman Governor in the province of Judea; and the Jews are still after Paul to kill him; and at this time Paul, being a Roman citizen, demands that he be heard by Caesar in Rome. And while all this is going on, the Jewish regent, Agrippa, comes to Caesarea to visit, and Festus, not believing that Paul is guilty of anything, but having to respond to Paul’s demands to go to Rome, asks Agrippa to help him document the charges against Paul to send to Rome.} … ============

Highlight Passages: Acts 26 : [NLT] … {In Chapter 26 of Acts we read of Paul giving his appeal before Agrippa, Festus, and the Roman court in Caesarea; and Paul’s oratory and Spirit-led testimony comes out, with Paul powerfully giving his own personal testimony to Agrippa and the Roman Governor, Felix. And Felix, after hearing Paul’s testimony and witness to the Gospel merely thinks Paul is crazy, not seeing anything to hold against Paul legally. So, Paul’s request to go to Rome and appeal before the Caesar was granted. This, of course, gives Paul the opportunity to go to Rome to share the Gospel there as he had so desired and expressed in his letter to the Romans, which we have documented in our Bible Book of Romans.} …

My Journal for Today: Have you ever seen an elegant and beautifully-woven tapestry, woven by a skilled artisan and rug-maker, which, if you look on the working side of the tapestry looks like a mish-mash of threads, knots, and gnarls? Well, many times when one gives his/her testimony, it plays out as a beautifully woven tapestry of God, leading one through various ups-and-downs and the story taking the person through various complicated paths, … but coming out with a beautiful story – a tapestry – which gives honor and glory to God. But while God is weaving that testimony, that person’s life, being shaped by God, on the working side of the tapestry, it definitely does not seem to be a pretty picture.

That was Paul’s story – his life tapestry – in Acts, Chapters 24-26 - where Paul’s life was slowly being woven by God in Caesarea over several years, where God was weaving the events of Paul’s life with various threads and knots being brought together by God in the lives of men like Felix, Festus, and Agrippa, finally putting the tapestry together Paul would take to Rome. This was a bucket-list dream of Paul’s, so that he could see the Roman Christians and share the Gospel in Rome. What a tapestry we read in these three chapters of Acts, so beautifully shaped, as God wove it into Paul’s life, … but so gnarly on the working side of the tapestry as God was weaving all the details into Paul’s life tapestry.

Perhaps you, as I can, look back on your life, with many incredibly complex turns and twists, knots and gnarls, … God weaving your life to become the picture others see in you now. I look back and see me making choices, which on one side would look so twisted and certainly didn’t seem to reflect God’s workmanship in me; but now the tapestry of Bill Berry actually is beginning to take on an image which is beginning to look more like the tapestry God is weaving into my life. Paul wrote about this process, which preachers call “sanctification” in Phil. 1: 6 … "… I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” 

My friend, don’t be discouraged if your life seems – to your view (on your side of the tapestry) – to be gnarly and very un-beautiful.  Remember, God is the Master Weaver; and as long as we are pursuing the relationship He desires for us, He will weave our lives for others to see a tapestry which is beautiful and honors God, the Father, with His workmanship.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, let my life be a tapestry where others see You, no matter how gnarly the weaving seems to me. Amen

December 11, 2012 … Spirit-led … Surrendered Commitment

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 346

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Acts, Chapters 20-23 To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passages: Acts 20: 21-24 : [NLT] … {Returning to Luke’s account of Paul’s last journey in Chapters 20-23 of the Book of Acts, we read of Paul’s obsessive dedication [see Acts 20:21-22 below] to his calling to share the Gospel with Jews first, but always also, everywhere he went, with the Gentiles, which was Paul’s primary Spirit-led calling.} …  
21 I have had one message for Jews and Gentiles alike — the necessity of turning from sin and turning to God, and of faith in our Lord Jesus. 22 “And now I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there irresistibly by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what awaits me, 23 except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. 24 But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love.
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Highlight Passages: Acts 21 : [NLT] … {In Chapter 21, which you can use the link above to study, Luke documents Paul ending his third journey and following God’s lead to Jerusalem from Asia-Minor, where he had been sharing the Gospel and seeing many, Jews and Gentiles, come to saving faith in Christ. And in Jerusalem he was confronted by Temple worshipping Jews who accused Paul of defiling the Temple by leading Gentiles there. And Paul was arrested by Roman soldiers to prevent a riot, just as had been prophesied for him earlier. Yet, even knowing this would happen with the potential of his execution, Paul was resolute to his calling. We know (from Acts 1: 8 and Matt. 28: 19-20) that all Christians have a “calling” [i.e., a commission from Christ Himself] to go and witness THE TRUTH in the world, making disciples for Christ, and teaching them of God’s word, wherever the Lord leads us. But are we focused and committed to this “calling” as was Paul’s example? } …
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Highlight Passages: Acts 22 : [NLT] … {In Chapter 22, Luke reports that Paul was allowed by the Romans to speak to the Jews outside the Temple … to try to quell the growing mob; and he did so by speaking in their own language. But after revealing his testimony and calling to Christ as his Savior/Lord, the crowd once again called for his death; but then Paul revealed – to the Romans – that he was a Roman citizen, which caused them to hold him in protective testimony until they could bring him back to the Jewish high council (the Sanhedrin) for disposition. } …
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Highlight Passages: Acts 23 : [NLT] … {In Chapter 23, Luke records, likely from hearing directly from Paul, that the Sanhedrin became split over Paul’s case; and Christ, in a vision, gives Paul assurance that he will soon give witness to Christ in Rome itself. And God moved in the hearts of the mob to move against Paul to kill him; but God also worked through the Romans in Jerusalem, knowing of Paul’s Roman citizenship, to send Paul to Caesarea by the sea, to avoid the mob and to have Paul seen by the Roman Governor of Judea, Felix, who was residing in that sea-side resort.} 

My Journal for Today: Today, I was taken back, in my chronological read, to the Book of Acts, … after having been reading and journaling through the letters Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth during his third missionary journey. And Luke, in Acts, Chapters 20-23, documents, in this chronology of Pauline travels, what happened to Paul when he returned to Jerusalem after this third journey. I hope you take the time to read/study through these chapters as I have today; because it helps one to appreciate just how resolute Paul was to his Spirit-led calling, … i.e., to carry out the “Great Commission” in Asia-Minor, especially bringing God’s truth to the Gentiles as well as the Jews in these regions.

As I wrote above in my journaling about these chapters, especially that related to Acts, Chapter 20, Paul was a model of a Luke 9: 23 Christian … denying self, taking up God’s cross daily, and resolutely following His Lord wherever God’s Spirit (i.e., Christ) would lead. It raises several issues which, in the Spirit, all “New Covenant” Christians must resolve.  

#1 – Are we truly Great-Commission bound disciples of Christ? … That is, … are we willing to “GO” and share the gospel truths, using our lives to “make disciples,” as Paul modeled for us?  

#2 – Are we Acts 1: 8 witnesses for Christ? That is, are we willing to share our testimony, as Paul did, wherever and whenever God leads us to do so, so that we can shine Christ’s light (after Christ’s command in Matt. 5: 16)?

And finally …  

#3 – Are we really living up to Christ’s exhortation, in Luke 9: 23, to be a fully-committed, fully-surrendered, disciples of Christ? As you can read in these chapters of Acts today, Paul modeled Luke 9: 23 everyday of his life after he became a born-again, transformed, Christian. How about you and me?

Well, my fellow Christian, there’s our 2nd Cor. 13: 5, pop-quiz of faith for the day. How are we doing … as disciples of Christ?

My Prayer Today: … Lord, … please continue to reshape me into a Pauline Christian, willing to surrender ALL to You, with You, and for You. Amen

December 10, 2012 … Majoring on the Majors

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 345

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Romans, Chapters 14-16 To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passages: Romans 14: 1-4; 10-13; 18-20 : [NLT] … {Chapter 14 of Romans is a good example of how Paul shifted gears from doctrinal to practical Christianity in the latter portion of the letter (i.e., Chapters 12-16). Living in Christ, we are to give God’s grace a chance to develop and mature His disciples, rather than more mature Christians trying to look down and judge fellow Christians over minor matters which should not divide the body of Christ. And most certainly mature disciples should not be doing or modeling behaviors which cause other, lesser mature, Christians to stumble in their faith.} …  
1 Accept Christians who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it is all right to eat anything. But another believer who has a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who think it is all right to eat anything must not look down on those who won’t. And those who won’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn God’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lord’s power will help them do as they should. ,,,  
10 So why do you condemn another Christian? Why do you look down on another Christian? Remember, each of us will stand personally before the judgment seat of God. 11For the Scriptures say,“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow to me and every tongue will confess allegiance to God.’ “ [citing Isaiah 45: 23] 12 Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God. 13 So don’t condemn each other anymore. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not put an obstacle in another Christian’s path. … 
18 If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God. And other people will approve of you, too. 19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. … 20 Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with these things in themselves. But it is wrong to eat anything if it makes another person stumble.  
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Highlight Passages: Romans 15: 5-7 : [NLT] … {Chapter 15 emphasizes that if each Christian would live a Luke 9: 23 type of life, loving one another and allowing for one another’s immaturity, God would be glorified in the display of such love and compassion; and there would be so much more unity in the body of Christ. } …  
5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other —each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other. 6 Then, all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified. 
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Highlight Passages: Romans 16: 17-20 : [NLT] … {There is one final appeal from Paul in Chapter 16 of Romans; and that is to use God’s word as our standard for Christian living. To Paul this was the Book of the Law (the Old Testament as we know it). But we now have a “much more” Scripture with God bringing us the New Covenant [i.e., New Testament] in Christ, as well as truths such as God taught us through Paul’s own letters. And Paul is saying that if/when we bring our petty judgments, disputes, and divisions before Scripture as we know it, we can avoid many of the schisms in the body of Christ which become apparent when we assert self over the Savior and His truth.} …  
17 And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things that are contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. 18Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. 19But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to see clearly what is right and to stay innocent of any wrong. 20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 

My Journal for Today: Have you ever heard a preacher or a mature Christian say that we Christians need to “MAJOR ON THE MAJORS?” It’s a catch-phrase and maybe even a cliché. But it communicates an important truth which Paul pounds home for Christians in his very pragmatic closing three chapters in his epistle to the Romans.

As I noted yesterday (Dec. 9) in my blog, Paul’s final chapters in Romans are more practical, as opposed to the first 11 chapters of his letter, which are primarily focused on Christian theology. As I’ve written, it was like Paul needed to relate to Christians (that’s you and me!) that we first need to know WHY WE BELIEVE IN CHRIST [i.e., accurate theology] before we then apply these principles to know HOW TO LIVE IN CHRIST.

And as one reads through the last three chapters of my Bible read in Romans here today, one sees that Paul was trying to teach/preach, as clearly and as forcefully as he could, to lesser mature Christians, that we must avoid selfish squabbles over minor issues which tend to divide the body of Christ and diminish the Church’s ability to shine Christ’s light in a very dark (and now, ever darkening) world.

And that my friends is Paul’s exhortation to MAJOR ON THE MAJORS and to avoid letting petty judgments and minor selfish issues split the church and dilute the BODY’S efforts to witness as we were promised in Acts 1: 8 and charged in Luke 9: 23 and commissioned, by Christ Himself, in Matthew 28: 19-20.

If you’ve been reading along with me in my chronological Bible quest and my journal entries this year, you should have likely memorized (or you will recognize) these three passages: and if you haven’t memorized and internalized them, I charge you to do so. Paul, wanted, as do I, for Christ’s followers, most certainly including myself, to be able to do all we can to be salt and light in this world, as Jesus Himself had preached during His earthly ministry. But we Christians can’t do this when we’re majoring on the minors.

So, … all of us who claim the Name of Christ, as His disciples, need to doing what Paul is strongly exhorting in Chapters 14-16 of his letter to the Romans. And when we MAJOR ON THE MAJORS, we can be, or become, so much more effective as disciples and witnesses for Christ in this world.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me major on YOUR majors!! Amen

December 9, 2012 … The Fulcrum of God’s Truth

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 344

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Romans, Chapters 11-13 To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passages: Romans 11: 33-36 : [NLT] … {Paul addresses Chapter 11, as a close to his treatise on Christian theology with a brief prayer of praise to a VERY BIG GOD, whom neither he, nor any Christian can fully fathom. Chapters 1-11 of Romans are Paul’s reasons WHY TO BELIEVE IN CHRIST; and it seems entirely appropriate that he would close this section on Christian doctrine with this prayer.} …  
33 Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are His riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and His methods! 34 For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be His counselor? 35 And who could ever give Him so much that He would have to pay it back? 36 For everything comes from Him; everything exists by His power and is intended for His glory. To Him be glory evermore. Amen. 
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Highlight Passages: Romans 12: 1-2 : [NLT] … {Chapter 12 in Romans launches Paul’s HOW TO LIVE IN CHRIST section of this letter on the truth surrounding Christ and how to live in the reality of those truths. And the first two verses of Romans 12 comprise what I refer to as the “fulcrum” of New Testament theology, which I’ll explain below as the focus of my journal entry for today. And in preparation for what I will blog today, may I be so bold to suggest that you search out several Bible versions of Romans 12: 1-2 and meditate on them to study this very important passage of NT Scripture. And in reading the rest of Romans 12, following verses 1-2, you’ll see that Paul begins to describe for his Christian readers how to live in Christ, applying the doctrine he has exposed in Chapters 1-11. } …  
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.  
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Highlight Passages: Romans 13: 8-10 : [NLT] … {And Chapter 13 gets right into Christian living with a discussion of how to live in any era of this world … with worldly governments and laws. And the chapter closes with Paul quoting one the most practical of all Old Testament doctrines – right from God’s Law – Lev. 19: 18, that all of God’s Law is summarized in one principle … “to love one’s neighbor as himself.” As you can read, Paul was a powerful and pragmatic apologist, being able to bring multiple doctrines into a concise summary.} …
8 Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments against adultery and murder and stealing and coveting—and any other commandment—are all summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements. 

My Journal for Today: My friends, if you were forced to prioritize the truths of Scripture, especially New Testament theology, into one Bible passage, what would you choose as your summary passage? Asking it another way, … if I said you could only memorize and internalize one passage of the New Testament, what would it be?

Well, if you’ve read what I wrote above, you have a clue that my passage would be Romans, Chapter 12, Verses 1-2. I call that passage “the fulcrum” of Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians (and to us). A “fulcrum” is defined is … “the support, or point of rest, on which a lever turns in moving a body.” Archimedes, who lived in the 3rd century BC and was considered to be one of the most brilliant mathematical minds in history, is quoted to have said, “Give me a lever long enough, a fulcrum strong enough, and I’ll move the world!”

I call Romans 12: 1-2 the “fulcrum” of Paul’s treatise on Christianity in Romans; because Chapters 1-11 describe Christian theology (i.e., WHY TO BELIEVE IN CHRIST) and Chapters 12 – to the end of the letter – describe Christian pragmatics (i.e, HOW TO LIVE IN CHRIST). And right at the balance point, between the two, lies Romans 12: 1-2, … this powerful statement which merges or moves a Christian from doctrine to duty. And it explains how the truths from God must be lived out in 24/7 worship of our Lord.

Romans 12: 1-2 takes us from Godly truth to Godly living; and it points us from Scripture to in-the-trenches living … which will, if we live as God’s word teaches, produce Christians becoming whom we were intended to be in the first place. Once again I charge any Christian reading with me here today to go back and look up and study several versions of Rom. 12: 1-2 in the Bible (perhaps the NKJV, the NIV, the NLT (quoted above), and The Message paraphrase). And I maintain if you really grasp the meaning God intended as Paul wrote this passage in Greek, as we have it translated into English, you’re going to be convicted and directed to pursue the mind and living transformation written of in this incredibly powerful Bible passage.

Once again, Archimedes said he could move the world if you give him the proper lever, being place at the proper fulcrum. And so, … when we take the most powerful lever ever created (i.e. God’s truth from His word) and use it to leverage our lives, we will be moved to function in God’s way and in His will, rather than in our own selfish direction. When we choose to live (and God gives us that leverage) by His fulcrum of truth, our lives will be transformed; .. and as it says in Romans 12: 2, we “ … will know what God wants [us] to do, and [we] will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is.”

I’d say that is spiritually what Archimedes was describing mathematically; and Romans 12: 1-2 could be the truth that changes any Christian’s life forever into one who serves God in His will from His word.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, thank You for the leverage of Your word, balancing me in Your will as I live out Your truth as the fulcrum of my life. Amen

December 8, 2012 … Finally Free

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 343 - 69 years in this life today!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Romans, Chapters 8-10 To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Blogger’s Note: … If you’ve been following my devotional blogs for any period of time, you know that God often reminds me of songs I love to help Him express His truths to me in my quiet-times with Him each morning; and when I meditated on Chapter 8 of Romans today, God bubbled up my memory of a great song, written and performed by Nichole Nordeman a few years ago, entitled Finally Free, to which I’ll link you on You Tube to hear before reading my comments below -  .
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Highlight Passages: Romans 8 [all of it!] : [NLT] … {Please take the time to use the link above and read, study, and meditate on ALL of Chapter 8 of Paul’s freeing epistle to all Christians. Most of what I’m about to journal below rests on the content of this chapter.} …
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Highlight Passages: Romans 9-10 : [NLT] … {And I’ll leave it to you to use the link above and to study through these two chapters as well, though I won’t be blogging on them here today. In Chapter 9, Paul tries to help Jewish believers to identify with the truth of the Gospel, which was prophesied by their Prophets in their Scripturs and by God’s Book of the Law. And in Chapter 10 we read Paul trying to get any Christian, with an emphasis for the Jews, to realize that one will only realize, by believing in Christ, the freedom offered by the finished work of Jesus in dying and being resurrected for our sins. As Nichole Nordeman sings in her song, , … only when we believe in and hang our eternity on the hope in Christ are we Finally - FINALLY - Free.} …
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Reference Passage: Romans 7: 14-24 : [NLT] … {Again I link you to Chapter 7 of Romans about which I blogged yesterday, where Paul was curiously railing about self-doubt and feelings of guilt for his very human condition of sinfulness, from which he longed to be free and which provides the platform for Romans 8, the great freedom chapter in all of the New Testament. So, if you want to review Paul’s comparison of his own chains of doubt to juxtapose to the exhilaration of freedom professed in Chapter 8, please use this link } …

My Journal for Today: Hey, my friends! Today is my biological birthday; and I’m feeling like a pretty painful 69 years old today. But that is not the really significant birthday in my life. It was on April 13th, 1983 that I was born-again spiritually in Christ; and that re-birthday is when God set me free from any experience of pain in my self as my Lord adopted me into His family. You see, … that’s when I went from living in the reality of Romans 7 to becoming freed from my self, … what Paul writes about in the freedom chapter of Romans 8.

Yesterday I blogged about the section of Romans 7 (i.e., verses 14-25), where Paul let his readers know the bondage which comes from trying to be saved by overcoming the truth of God’s Law by living in the flesh, i.e., serving the Law with our works. As Paul expressed in Romans 7, and you can reread by using the link above, trying to be saved by our works only leads to death, i.e., separation from God. But then … Paul presents the greatest freedom-producing exposé of truth in all of Scripture in Chapter 8 of this letter to the Roman Christians. And I exhort you to have meditated on the truths in this chapter whenever you read my following comments.

And after reading Chapters 7 and 8 of Romans, we see the stark contrast. We can live a Chapter 7 type of Christianity and be engulfed by the darkness of self-doubt; or we can live in the freedom-producing truth of Romans 8 and be bathed in the light of our freedom in Christ.

We can try to save ourselves by living in fleshly attempts to serve the Law, as Paul was describing in Romans 7; or we can be saved and set free from our sin-nature by believing in the life-saving works of Christ, Who has set us free from our sins as Paul describes so magnificently in Chapter 8 of Romans.

And it’s quite simply our choice, isn’t it? That’s why, when I’m feeling down-and-out and in the throws of a self-induced pity party, one of my battle strategies to free myself from self-condemnation is by going back and meditating on Romans 8. My friend, I strongly contend that any Christian who has genuinely confessed any sin or transgression to our Savior and especially to another Christian, … when they know and believe the truths espoused by Paul in Romans 8 and also by John in 1st John 1: 9, God will bathe that believer with His freeing and merciful grace; and that one, being cleansed by God’s love through His promises, will be FREE INDEED. It’s just as Jesus Himself promised in John 8: 32, … ”And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

My Prayer Today: … Oh, yes, Lord, … as Nichole Nordeman so powerfully sings in her song, … I’m “Finally Free!” Amen

December 7, 2012 … Woe Is Me!!

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 342

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Romans, Chapters 4-7 To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passages: Romans 4:20-25 : [NLT] … {The biggest portion of the readers of this letter to the Christians in Rome were Jews; and Chapter 4 addresses their history and understanding of God’s Law and how faith in Christ, as their Messiah, was the only way to salvation for Jewish believers, not their works under The Law, as many were conditioned by tradition to believe. And Paul reminds these Jews of their ancestor, the father of their Jewish faith, Abraham, whose faith, long before The Law ever came to the Jewish people, counted him to be righteous in the eyes of God. } …  
20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything he promised. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God declared him to be righteous. 23 Now this wonderful truth—that God declared him to be righteous—wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. 24 It was for us, too, assuring us that God will also declare us to be righteous if we believe in God, who brought Jesus our Lord back from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God.  
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Highlight Passages: Romans 5: 18-21 : [NLT] … {Chapter 5 of Romans gives Paul’s readers an powerful comparison of what we – as God’s children – have from Adam [i.e., death] as compared with what we have from Christ [i.e., eternal life]. We choose, by living by faith in one or the other which of these two we will suffer or enjoy for eternity. } …  
18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brought condemnation upon everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness makes all people right in God’s sight and gives them life. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many people became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many people will be made right in God’s sight. 20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful kindness became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful kindness rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
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Highlight Passages: Romans 6: 5; 11; 14-16; : [NLT] … {Chapter 6 laid out for the Romans [and us too!] what they [we] could be assured of when they [we] receive Christ as their Messiah, Lord, and Savior; and that was total freedom in their [our] eternal relationship with The Christ.} …  
5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised as he was. … 
11 So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus. … 
14 Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God’s grace. 15 So since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does this mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master? You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval. …  
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Highlight Passages: Romans 7: 14-24 : [NLT] … {This is a curious chapter. Please use this link -  - to read verses 14-24, which will be the focus of most of my journaling this morning.} …  
Please link to that passage and read my comments below. 

My Journal for Today: The four chapters I was led to study in my chronological reading segment today are pregnant with Christian theology, from a Jewish as well as a Gentile perspective. I hope you, my fellow readers, take the time to go through Chapters 4-6 to see that it is our faith which separates us in Christ from those who choose to live in the spiritual DNA of Adam. Here you will also read – AGAIN – that it is our faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross, not anything we can do (i.e., our works) that can save us from eternal separation from God. Yes, dear one, these chapters present some of the most important theological points on walking free from sin that there are in the New Testament.

But it’s Chapter 7, where Paul paints himself in a very interesting light to which I’d like to address myself in this blog entry. In this chapter, Paul seems to go into a “funk” about himself. It’s almost like – all of a sudden – Paul is documenting a pity-party for his readers. And knowing just how mature a believer and evangelist Paul was when he wrote this epistle, one (well, at least this one – i.e., me) must ask, “Why?!”

We know that Paul wrote this letter after 2nd Corinthians; and in that letter to Corinth, Paul wrote (in Chapters 11 and 12) about how much he (Paul) had been through to carry the Gospel all over the known world in three separate mega-journeys for Christ. We know that in spite of some “thorn” of weakness, Paul persisted, learning that “God’s grace was sufficient” … ALWAYS, in all circumstances, to cover his weaknesses. Yet, here in Chapter 7, verses 14-25 of Romans, we read of a “WOE IS ME” side of Paul.

Well, I have my own theory about why Paul seems to slip into a whole different persona in writing Chapter 7 of Romans. I believe that Paul, the brilliant, strong, and most capable warrior for Christ was helping his readers to identify with the humanity of weakness as he was about to launch into writing probably the most hope-filled and freedom-invoking chapter in all of the Bible – i.e., Chapter 8 of Romans.

If you’ve ever studied Romans 8, you know that it almost explodes with hopefulness and with the doctrine that nothing, in this world or life, can separate a true, born-again believer from the love of God. And I believe Paul needed to have any reader of his epistle (i.e., to the Romans), anyone who was feeling downtrodden or was wallowing in self condemnation, to be prepared to read some of the most powerful truths in the Bible, as Paul launches into Romans 8 with … ”There is NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus!”

Paul wanted any and all readers of Romans 7 to know that they don’t have to live a down-and-out life. They could choose to live up-and-free lives in Christ. And that was to be God’s message in Romans 8; but Paul needed to hook his readers – in belief – by getting them to identify with Paul’s claimed times of self-doubt or personal condemnation [i.e., Romans 7: 14-25}. And whether Paul ever really felt the way he wrote about in Romans 7 at this point in his walk with Christ is debatable; but this passage is brilliantly written to get any reader to want more than life in Romans 7, … which any reader would find in reading –and living – in Romans 8. And as I close my blog this morning, I ask you what I often ask of myself, … ”Do we want to live in Romans 7 or Romans 8?” …

And as Paul writes in all of Romans, it’s our choice !!

My Prayer Today: … I choose to live in the truth of Romans 8, Lord! Amen

December 6, 2012 … Faith or Flesh: Our Choice

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 341

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Romans, Chapters 1-3 To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passages: Romans, Chapter 1-3 … Please take the time to use the link above and read these chapters of Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians (and to us!). : [NLT] … {The Book of Romans, a letter written by Paul from Corinth, after he wrote 2nd Corinthians, to believers in Rome, mostly Jewish but some Gentiles, is sometimes referred to as “The Christian Manifesto of Faith.” And there is probably no one book in the Bible which explains the basics and the foundation of the Christian faith any more clearly. The Roman Christians really had no writings, i.e., new covenant doctrine, upon which to hang their faith; and so, Paul took it upon himself to write to believers why following Christ was living in the truth and how they (we) should live as Christians. So, when we read this Epistle, as I will be (hopefully with you) in the next few days, we need to be doing what Paul wrote in 2nd Cor. 13: 5 (see below), … examining our faith to see if we are truly living in our relationship with Christ. In other words, fellow believer, are we walking-the-walk of our faith as well as talking-the-talk of Christianity?} …
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Highlight Passages: Romans 1: 15-16; 18-32 [linked below] : [NLT] … {Paul clearly relates a summary of his faith in, and total surrender to, THE GOSPEL and to Christ as the Son of God, the Messiah, and The Christ.} … 1 This letter is from Paul, Jesus Christ’s slave, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. … 
15 So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach God’s Good News. 16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—Jews first and also Gentiles. …  
{Then after a greeting in identification with the Roman Christians via the Gospel, Paul sends a clear red-flag warning to his Christian audience about choosing to live in the flesh as opposed to living in faith, as slaves to The Christ; … and for you to read this passage I will link you to it online. …  . Please take the time to study and meditate on this passage, because digesting this truth will bring conviction to any believer who is habitually and consciously living in the flesh rather than living in fellowship with Christ.}
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Highlight Passages: Romans 2: 5-11 : [NLT] … {If you’re reading along, you have to be impressed that Paul is holding up a mirror of truth in front of the Christians in Rome (and for us). The Gospel is that for anyone who confronts what Christ did on the cross and what God Spirit did in raising Him from the grave, defeating sin and death forever. If one truly believes in the Gospel, it holds up a reality that one MUST see himself as a sinner and surrender to the grace of God for salvation and sanctification. EXAM: Have we done so? } …  
5 But no, you won’t listen. So you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself because of your stubbornness in refusing to turn from your sin. For there is going to come a day of judgment when God, the just judge of all the world, 6 will judge all people according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who persist in doing what is good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds. 9 There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on sinning—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 10 But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.  
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Highlight Passages: Romans 3: 19-26 : [NLT] … {And here Paul lays out, for Jews and Gentiles alike, the reality that God’s law was given to man to show him that he, in the flesh, could not live up to God’s standard for salvation … that he (mankind) needed a Savior; and that Redeemer had come in the Person of Jesus; … and further that we must believe in The Christ as our Redeemer and put no stock for salvation into what we do or can do. The truth of the Gospel is our test unto salvation; and living in that truth becomes God’s way of judging whether we have received and surrendered to His saving grace.} … 19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses and to bring the entire world into judgment before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God’s law, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying it. 21 But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight—not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. 22 We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. 23 For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. 25 For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. 26 And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus.  
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Reference Passage: 2nd Corinthians 13: 5 : [NLT] … {Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans FROM CORINTH and from his concern about the faith of Roman Christians being persecuted and dealing with the spiritual oppression and fleshly culture in Rome … not so different from what we face today.} … 5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test. 

My Journal for Today: Paul’s letter to the Romans, into which we wade today in my chronological read through the Bible, is a tough study. It is like Paul taking on the role of a Spirit-led attorney, writing out, as clearly he could, for the Roman Christians (and for us as well) the basics of the Christian faith. And reading through this NT magnum opus is like standing naked in front of a crystal-clear mirror of truth, which reveals whom we REALLY are when tested before the truth of the Gospel.

If you read through my comments, in bold above, concerning Romans, Chapters 1-3, you really have all I need to journal here today about this portion of the letter Paul wrote, introducing himself to believers in Rome and beginning his treatise about the truth of the Gospel. So I won’t belabor any readers who were generous enough with your time to read along with me.

My only parting comment today is a question: “As we read through Romans 1-3 as a test of our faith (again see 2nd Cor. 13: 5 above), are we living by faith in the Gospel or living in our flesh, trying to cope with the world and our spiritual enemies?” …

That’s the mirror I walked in front of this morning; and I don’t know about you; but it was a pretty convicting exposé on my life.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, thank You for Your mirror of truth in Paul’s letter. It reveals me as needing to go deeper – by faith – to know You more intimately today than yesterday … and even more tomorrow than today. Amen. Amen

December 5, 2012 … Testing, testing, testing!!

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 340

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 2nd Corinthians, Chapters 10-13 To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passages: 2nd Corinthians 10: 3-6; 17-18 : [NLT] … {Doesn’t this section of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians remind you of Ephesians 6: 10-20, Paul’s famous passage on the “full armor of God?” Paul had to remind the Corinthians that life is a continual battle for Christians; but God, as our Supreme Commander-in-Chief, has provided us with the character armaments and the all powerful offensive weapon of His word to do battle against our spiritual enemies. Perhaps it would behoove the reader to go back and mediate on the Ephesians 6 passage referenced above.} …  
3 We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds. 5 With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ. 6 And we will punish those who remained disobedient after the rest of you became loyal and obedient. …  
{Paul learned that some in Corinth thought of him as a boastful weakling; but Paul in this chapter of his 2nd letter to these Christians, quotes Jeremiah 9: 24, telling his readers that he (Paul) had only gotten his commission and commendation from the Lord, Himself. Paul had a real dilemma in trying to seem forceful in bringing the Gospel message to the Corinthians without seeming to be prideful, … the latter character flaw Paul had to consciously and continually work to avoid (see the discussion about 2nd Cor. 12: 9-11 below.}…  
17 As the Scriptures say, “The person who wishes to boast should boast only of what the Lord has done.” … 18 When people boast about themselves, it doesn’t count for much. But when the Lord commends someone, that’s different! 
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Highlight Passages: 2nd Corinthians 11: 28-31 : [NLT] … {In this chapter of Paul’s letter, he describes how the trials of his life and God bringing him through those trials in the travels and tribulations of his missionary journeys, validates his credentials to bring God’s good news to the Corinthians. And, with vulnerability and emotion, he candidly reports what a burden he feels for all those with whom God led him to share Christ. And also like the message below of 2nd 12: 9-11, Paul indicates that his only real strength comes by God covering his human weakness.} …  
28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of how the churches are getting along. 29Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger? 30 If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. 31 God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, Who is to be praised forever, knows I tell the truth. 
  ============ Highlight Passages: 2nd Corinthians 12: 6-10 : [NLT] … {This passage in this letter from Paul is one of the most personal and powerful message from this letter. It’s personal – and maybe for you, too – because I’ve had “thorns” in my life which I prayed for God to remove; but He didn’t. And the message is powerful because what Jesus was quoted to say to Paul, is potent truth we all need to recognize. And it’s the message Paul wrote to these same Corinthians earlier in 1st Cor. 10: 13, that God, in His faithfulness, would never allow us to be put into or through any circumstance which we, with His help, could not handle. Do you have some “thorns” in your life? Well, if so, God’ grace is sufficient for us to deal with the pain, sorrow, or suffering which has weakened us from this “thorn,” whatever it is. Yes, we are weak; but in that weakness, we find HIS strength.} … 6 I have plenty to boast about and would be no fool in doing it, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it. I don’t want anyone to think more highly of me than what they can actually see in my life and my message, 7 even though I have received wonderful revelations from God. But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. 10 Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
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Highlight Passages: 2nd Corinthians 13: 5 : [NLT] … {And finally, in his last chapter of this letter, Paul gives one final bit of pertinent advice to Christians, … to periodically take stock of their (our) faith to see if we stack up to what our potential is in Christ. If you’ve been reading along with me in these letters Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, you have, as have I, been led to take stock of your (our) own faith, especially when aspiring to Christlikeness, to see where we are. Second Corinthians shows clearly where Paul stood and where he desired for the Christians he loved in Corinth to direct themselves. Where do we stand on God’s test of faith through Paul?} …  
5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test. 6 I hope you recognize that we have passed the test and are approved by God. 

My Journal for Today: Have ever been in a situation of having to test out a microphone or an audio system to see if it projected what you wanted to say to be clearly heard and understood by the audience in the room? If you’ve ever done that, you almost always end up declaring into the audio system, as the title I’ve given to my devotional this morning, … “Testing, … testing, … testing!!”

And in many respects, especially in light of the passage I quoted above from 2nd Cor. 13: 5, Paul’s entire second letter to the believers in Corinth he loved so much was like a mic check. He so wanted these Christians, this church in Corinth, to hear what God wanted them to hear, … to fully grasp and live out the Gospel in their lives. And so, Paul kept crying out, over and over again, to the Corinthians (and to us) … that they (we) need to grasp the life Christ has for us … in, through, and for Him.

I’m not going to write any more than I have in bold above in this blog entry for today. What I’ve said above (in bold) about the passages in the final four chapters I was led to read in this Pauline epistle today is plenty enough. I just hope we take in God’s message, through Paul’s letter, as God’s way of saying, “TESTING, … TESTING, … TESTING!!!” 

My Prayer Today: … I get it, Lord! ...  I do!! You want me to hear You speaking out to my heart. … You want me to understand Your message clearly. … I do hear You, Lord, ever so clearly. Now I beg you to give me Your strength, in my weakness, to live it so others will get the message through me. Amen

December 4, 2012 … Living Way New In Christ

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 339

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 2nd Corinthians, Chapters 5-9 To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passages: 2nd Corinthians, Chapters 5-9 … Please take the time to use the link above and read these chapters of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians (and to us!). : [NLT] … {My focus today will be from 2nd Cor. 5; but any reader here would be edified by God’s Spirit, as was I this morning, to mediated on all five chapters of today’s reading.} …
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Highlight Passages: 2nd Corinthians 5: 5-10; 14; 17; 20-21 : [NLT] … {Also remember and believing the truth of Eph. 2: 8-10 [see copied below], 2nd Cor. 5 also exhorts me to take the saving and sanctifying grace from God’s Spirit and do all I can in this life to use it for God’s glory, knowing that I will be judged in heaven for the good works which I have accomplished FOR CHRIST, shining His light for the glory of the Father (see Christ’s admonition in Matt. 5: 16.} … 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. 6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 That is why we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So our aim is to please him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies. …  
{Hey, my friend, when we become Christians, in our flesh, we are WAY NEW! Things change. We now are enlightened, equipped, and enabled to live – in the flesh – for God’s glory, not our own. Yes, we still have a sin nature; and we can choose to live in the flesh; but being justified by Christ’s blood on the cross and saved by our faith in God’s resurrection power, God’s grace is now ours to use for God’s glory. The question is, ARE WE LIVING WAY NEW LIVES FOR GOD’S GLORY? … 
14 Whatever we do, it is because Christ’s love controls us [or can be translated “urges us on” or "holds us together" or "channels us toward"]. Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live. … 
17 What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! … 
20 We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, “Be reconciled to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 
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Reference Passage: Ephesians 2: 8-10 : [NLT] … {We are saved BY grace, THROUGH faith, UNTO good works. … Get it! … Okay, let’s live it!! } …  
8 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. 

Reference Passage: Galatians 2: 20 : [NLT] … {Dead to self, … living for Christ, … letting my new life in the flesh and faith shine Christ’s light of love. } … 20 I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

My Journal for Today: 2nd Corinthians, Chapters 5-9 today is my chronological reading assignment; but my focus for journaling couldn’t get past Chapter 5 this morning. I hope you, as did I, read all the chapters for your devotional meditation; but let me return to Chapter 5 for a very convicting question (well, at least for me!).

Reading through 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 5 this morning caused me to remember and realize – AGAIN – just how much my life has changed since that providential day on April 13th 1983 when, in brokenness, I received Jesus, the Christ, as my LORD and Savior. That was almost 30 years ago. And wow, if I had people who really knew me back then to testify here about the Bill Berry BEFORE CHRIST and the change in this dude AFTER CHRIST, you’d see that (as Galatians 2: 20 says in the NKJV), “… the life which I now live in the flesh, I (now) live by faith, in the Son of God, Who love me and gave Himself for me.” 

If my first VA secretary (God love her) were here she’d tell you how often, before 4/13/83, as a professing atheist, I would make her life hell by trying to point out the inconsistencies in the way she lived from her professed Christian faith. Others would tell you how cynical and uncaring I was back then. Some, who had seen the dark-side of sexual sin in my life, especially my wife, could tell you of my pre-Christian obsession with sex. That was Bill Berry, ”BC” … (i.e., Before Christ).

But hopefully others, NOW, “AC” (i.e., After Christ) see a WAY NEW Bill Berry, one who is still obsessive, but this time acting out those “OCD” tendencies by obsessively digging into God’s word everyday – and yes, even journaling about it in this venue daily, trying to know God more today than I did yesterday – and even more tomorrow than today. Hopefully, those of you who really know me now, see how driven I am to use my past – my story – to show others just how much a WAY NEW life in Christ – one driven by God’s Spirit – can honor God by allowing the LORD to transform this one into the newness I am IN CHRIST [see 2nd Cor. 5: 17 and Gal. 2: 20 copied above].

And please, my friend reading here, … I’m not here bragging on Bill Berry!!! No, far from it, I’m here this morning touting the power of Christ, through His Spirit, as written about in 2nd Cor. 5 as well as Eph. 2: 8-10 and Gal. 2: 20 (copied above), to make a born-again Christian WAY NEW IN CHRIST and to enable that one to glorify God, the Father, and reflect God, the Son, in a WAY NEW way than that Christian could “BC” … Before Christ.

And that brings up the convicting question to which I referred above. … Are we living our WAY NEW lives – After Christ – in a way which reflects the purpose and power of the God’s Spirit in our lives and allows others to see how we’ve become WAY NEW by what Christ did for us on the cross? )

I’m praying this morning (below) that my WAY NEW life in Christ NOW reflects the light of my Savior and allows others to see me wearing His robes of righteousness, … covering my natural rags of sin. What about you?

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me, I beg You, … to convict and direct my life to be a light for YOU in this darkened world in which I live, … prayerfully FOR YOURS and the Father’s glory. Amen

December 3, 2012 … Blessings In Disguise

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 338

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 2nd Corinthians, Chapters 1-4 To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passages: 2nd Corinthians, Chapters 1-4 … Please take the time to use the link above and read these chapters of 2nd Corinthians. : [NLT] … {God’s Spirit has me focusing on one of the issues covered in 2Cor. 1 & 4; but I’ll rely on you to read the rest of chapters 2-3 for Paul’s word to the Corinthians.} …
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Highlight Passages: 2nd Corinthians 1: 3-7 : [NLT] … {Ever wonder why, after becoming a Christian, all the problems and trials of life aren’t diminished or eliminated? After all, in Christ don’t we have the power of God in our lives? Well, Paul addresses this for the Corinthians, who were questioning Paul’s authority with this issue.} …  
3 All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 So when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your benefit and salvation! For when God comforts us, it is so that we, in turn, can be an encouragement to you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in suffering, you will also share God’s comfort.  
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Highlight Passages: 2nd Corinthians 4: 8-10; 15-18 : [NLT] … {As above in 2Cor. 3-7, Paul continues to deal with the issue of Christians dealing with suffering.} …  
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. 9 We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. 10 Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. … 
15 All of these things are for your benefit. And as God’s grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. 16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are£ being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever. 
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Reference Passage: 1st Cor. 10: 13 : [NLT] … {Remembering a bit of First Corinthians} …  
But remember that the temptations {also can be translated “tests, trials, troubles, OR tribulations” from the Greek – peirasmos - for “temptations”} that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. 
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Reference Passage: Romans 8: 28 : [NLT] … {Again I ask, do we really believe God’s word?} … And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

My Journal for Today: Moving on to the fourth letter written from Paul to the church at Corinth. Apparently letters 1 and 3 have been lost; and our 1st Corinthians is Paul’s second letter with 2nd Corinthians being his fourth letter. But in our 2nd Corinthians, which is a much more personal letter than the very practical advice Paul gave to the church in 1st Corinthians, we read Paul defending his authority to teach/preach Christ and to give the Corinthians some very pertinent and powerful advice on Christian living (which is also true for us today).

Today, from the first four chapters of 2nd Corinthians, which I was assigned from my chronological reading program, God’s Spirit definitely had me focus on one issue which Paul covered, … that of dealing with trials, tests, and troubles in life. Have you ever wondered why suffering doesn’t go away – or at least is diminished significantly – after we become a Christian? And the Corinthians were likely using this issue to question Paul’s authority; and so, he dealt with it in chapters 1 and 4 of this letter. And I have extracted some of those verses for your study and meditation above.

You may also remember Paul’s exhortation to these same Christians in 1st Cor. 10: 13, which I’ve also copied for you above. In that passage Paul was helping the Corinthians (and us) to remember that God never allows us – or leads us – into any trials or temptations which we cannot handle. And in the passages which I’ve copied above from 2nd Cor., chapters 1 and 4, Paul is trying to help his much loved brothers/sisters in Christ to realize that all troubles or trials in life are for a reason – God’s reason; but so often we simply don’t – or cannot – discern God’s reasoning.

And it’s that same message he would later give to the Romans (and us) when he wrote what he did in Romans 8: 28 - also copied above. It’s a faith question, isn’t it? When we’re going through any of the tough troubles, trials, or temptations of life, do we really BELIEVE that God is leading us through them for HIS REASON and our GOOD? Do we really believe that the trials of life really for our benefit?

You know, that’s the subject matter of one of my favorite contemporary Christian songs, entitled Blessings, written and performed by Laura Story, in this You Tube linked piece . And remember Laura Story wrote this song after her beloved husband had to go through multiple brain surgeries for growing tumors. And once you use that link to meditate on this poignant song, that really says all I could ever write about what I’m focusing on today from Paul’s writings above in 2nd Corinthians. Trials in life are to build our faith, not to tear it down. As Laura Story writes, they are “blessings in disguise.”

My Prayer Today: … Thank You for the trials of life, Lord, which bring me closer to You. Amen

December 2, 2012 … God’s Love Transforms Us

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 337

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Corinthians, Chapters 9-11 To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passages: 1st Corinthians, Chapters 15 -16 … Again, if you’re reading along here, please take the time to use the link above and read these chapters of 1st Corinthians. : [NLT] … {These passages tell us about how God’s love transforms us, … not only after the resurrection from corruptible bodies to incorruptible; but in this life a well … how our sharing the love of God with others brings about their transformation when they see God’s love in us and receive Christ’s transforming grace by faith into their own lives. It is the power of God’s resurrection being seen in the lives of true born-again Christians who have experienced God’s amazing and transforming grace.} …
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Highlight Passages: 1st Corinthians 15: 50-57 : [NLT] … {My fellow Christian, anytime you’re feeling as I so often do at this age, awaking to arthritic pain or burdened by the maladies of an aging/failing body, it would be therapeutic to come back and meditate on this passage in 1st Corinthians. Because one day, the doctrine Paul wrote about to Christians who were being physically/emotionally persecuted to unimaginable degrees for their faith will become reality when Christians – both dead/alive are raised and resurrected to be with Christ for eternity.} …  
50 What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These perishable bodies of ours are not able to live forever. 51 But let me tell you a wonderful secret God has revealed to us. Not all of us will die, but we will all be transformed. 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, the Christians who have died will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die. 53 For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die. 54 When this happens—when our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die — then at last the Scriptures will come true: “Death is swallowed up in victory. {Isaiah 25: 8} 55 O death, where is your victory? ,,, O death, where is your sting?” {Hosea 13: 14} … 56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!.  
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Highlight Passages: 1st Corinthians 16: 13; 21-24 : [NLT] … {Paul’s final exhortation and instructions to the Corinthian Christians found in this personal words, written by the Apostle in love to fellow believers, still holds true for us and they are reminiscent, at least to me, of the departing words of Jesus in the Upper Room Discourse , which I’ve copied below in John 13: 34-35. } …  
13 Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. 14 And everything you do must be done with love. … 
21 Here is my greeting, which I write with my own hand—PAUL. 22 If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed. Our Lord, come! 23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. … 24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. …
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Reference Passage: John 13: 34-35 : [NLT] … {Jesus tells His disciples how they will be identified as Christians in a decaying and dying world.} … 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” 

My Journal for Today: My father, residing in a nursing care facility in his last few years of life was stricken with a list of maladies which caused him incredible pain and suffering, physical and emotional. When I would go to visit him, every time, he would ask me to read him the passage from the Bible I have quoted above from 1st Cor. 15: 50-57, …especially the part about our bodies being transformed from corruptible bodies to incorruptible in heaven. It gave him great comfort in his suffering to hear those words of truth; and now he is in heaven, waiting on the transformed and resurrected body which will be his when all Christians go to be with Jesus in the second coming of our Savior.

But even though these words of truth in 1st Cor. 15 are reassuring, God communicates in these two chapters of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Corinth a wonderful truth that even living in these corruptible bodies we can begin to experience the reality of God’s transforming grace in this life; and that comes when we share and receive the love of God, which we now experience as born-again Christians, sharing it with others and they receive that love/grace into their lives in faith.

Yesterday I met with a man – a brother in Christ – who was in great emotional distress, feeling a lot of long-standing pain in his life. And because of this pain he was unsure that he was even saved. Well, all I did was ask him if he trusted – in faith – what God’s Spirit has authored into the Bible; and when he responded affirmatively, I took him into Romans 10: 9-13 where God, through Paul, gives mankind His formula of salvation. And when this brother confessed to me that Jesus died for his sins and he believed, whole-heartedly, that Christ was his Lord and Savior, a sense of visible comfort and strength came over him. It was palpable; and he told me that he felt God’s love being transformed from the words of Scripture into his mind and heart. And then, together, we worked out a plan for him to move forward in his life with the assurance of not only his salvation but also how God could give him the strength to deal with all the pressures and anguish he had been feeling. And all that was wrapped up in the transforming grace any believer has from their faith-relationship with Christ.

 My friend, I hope that you’re feeling loved by God today. If you’re not, go back and read these two chapters in 1st Corinthians 15-16. Meditate on Romans 8. Take in the truth of Isaiah 41: 10; and when you do, it’s hard for me to imagine you holding on to fear or anxiety or emotional pain. God wants us to have the peace expressed in Isaiah 26: 3 and the joy of James 1: 2-3. And He wants this for all believers … NOW …. in this life, as well as even more so in the next.

Yes, it will be wonderful to have no physical or emotional pain when we’re with Jesus in glory. It will be wonderful, as a Christian, to have a new, incorruptible, pain-free body. But right now, you and me, through God’s sanctifying grace, can experience the love and joy-filling grace that comes when we really believe the truths which God has given us in these passages underlined in this last paragraph above.

I pray you’re experiencing that grace through God’s love right now.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, give others today the love You’re given me through Your Word this morning. Amen

December 1, 2012 … Hey, I’m Gifted! How about you?

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 336

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 1st Corinthians, Chapters 9-11 To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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 Highlight Passages: 1st Corinthians, Chapters 9 -11 … Again, if you’re reading along with me, please take the time to use the link above and read these three chapters in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. : [NLT] … {Are you a Christian? If you answered “YES!” to that one, I hope you know that you’re gifted. And in Chapters 12-14, especially Chapter 12, God through Paul exposes truth about the special gift or gifts which God gives to believers who are born again in Christ. You also may want to read through Romans 12 and Ephesians 4, where the subject of spiritual gifts is also covered. This issue is important, because every Christian should determine what his/her gift or gifts is/are so that these gifts can be used for serving God maximally in this life. } …
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Highlight Passages: 1st Corinthians 12: 1-3 : [NLT] … {Paul, in Chapter 12 exposes many of the gifts which God has given believers to serve God. I hope you know that you are gifted by God; and knowing your gift or gifts, we Christians need to be using those gifts to serve and glorify God everyday with the time God has given every believer. } …  
1 And now, dear brothers and sisters, I will write about the special abilities the Holy Spirit gives to each of us, for I must correct your misunderstandings about them. 2 You know that when you were still pagans you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. 3 So I want you to know how to discern what is truly from God: No one speaking by the Spirit of God can curse Jesus, and no one is able to say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 
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Highlight Passages: 1st Corinthians 13 : [NLT] … {This is God’s great LOVE CHAPTER in the Bible where the subject of God’s gift of love is so eloquently revealed and discussed. If a Christian ever has a question about the need to exercise God’s gift of loving us and how His love is imparted to us to love others, this is the chapter in God’s word upon which to meditate. Please go back and invest enough of God’s gift of time to read, study, and meditate on Chapter 13 of this letter from God.} …
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Highlight Passages: 1st Corinthians 14: 1-4 : [NLT] … {In Christian circles today, i.e., in the “Church,” the subject of the gift of “tongues” is highly misused and abused. That was the case even in Paul’s day as well; and he gives a very clear understanding of how this gift is to be used and how it should not be given importance above for which God intended.} …  
1 Let love be your highest goal, but also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives, especially the gift of prophecy. 2 For if your gift is the ability to speak in tongues,£ you will be talking to God but not to people, since they won’t be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious. 3 But one who prophesies is helping others grow in the Lord, encouraging and comforting them. 4 A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally in the Lord, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church. 

My Journal for Today: In reading through the three chapters of this letter from Paul today assigned in my chronological reading segment, I may have been a bit “cutesy” with my title for my journal entry this morning. But it’s true, fellow Christian, I am gifted; and if you’re born again in Christ, so are you. And Paul wanted to make sure in this letter, as well as his discussions on spirit-imparted gifts in Romans 12 and Ephesians 4, that each and EVERY Christian has at least one spiritual gift imparted by and overseen by the Holy Spirit.

Now, you probably know that no one Christian has all the Holy Spirit given gifts; but all Christians have at least one special gifting which can be – and should be – used in God’s Church for His Kingdom. Now, I’m certainly not going to be able to cover the spectrum of this important, but very broad, area of Christianity in this short journal entry this morning. But I do charge anyone reading with me here to be able to say, “I’m gifted” by God; and knowing what our gift or gifts are from God, we should be using them for His glory today and all days in this life.

 So, if our gift is teaching, we should be teaching God’s truths to others. If we’re gifted in giving, we should give. If we have the gift of prophesy, we should be using the discernment God has given us to recognize truth and help make it clear to others. And I could go on and on with other gifts, like the gift of mercy, service, faith, and others; … yes, even the very misunderstood and misinterpreted gift of “tongues,” which is specifically covered in Chapter 14 of 1st Corinthians.

But above all today, please take the time – God’s gift of time for all persons – to meditate in Chapter 13 about one of God’s greatest gifts – HIS LOVE. In the great “love chapter,” as it is known, God uses Paul’s gifts of prophesy and teaching to reveal to the Corinthians what they needed a lot of, i.e., His love, so that they (or we, by extension) could use it to build Christian togetherness and to spread His love to others in this world (see John 13: 33-34).

And so, I’m going to close this blog entry by having you use this link, to go back and listen to an old popular song from my college days, written and sung by Jackie DeShannon, which expresses what God was trying to get across in these three chapters of His letter to the Church … What the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love! Yes, … God’s love!! So, today my friend, use your Spirit-given gift or gifts to share God’s much needed love in this very love-starved world.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me use my gifts, which You have given me, to serve You today. Amen